Modern vehicles typically include a see-through display, such as a head-up display, in a passenger cabin to communicate information to an operator of the vehicle. The information can include a vehicle condition such as a fuel level or velocity of the vehicle, as well as warning icons, known as tell-tales. Typical head-up displays project an image including the information onto a predetermined area of a display screen adjacent to a windshield or that is part of the windshield. A virtual image is formed that the driver sees projected out over the road or another object on the road outside of the vehicle.
Some head-up display devices are repositionable, for example, to accommodate drivers having varying heights. These and other head-up displays may include an image projector and a combiner upon which the image is projected. The positioning system may be delicate and intended to automatic movement, not manual movement by a vehicle operator. If a vehicle operator tries to move the combiner, however, he/she may damage the head-up display device. Accordingly, there exists a need for dealing with situations where the operator tries to manual move the combiner, in order to protect the head-up display.